July 30

Caliph al-Mansur formally lays the foundation for the city of Baghdad, which becomes the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate.

The Abbasid Caliph al-Mansur selected a site along the Tigris River for a new capital city, designed in a distinctive circular plan and intended to serve as a center of Islamic learning and governance. Baghdad grew rapidly into one of the largest and most culturally significant cities in the medieval world.

Radical Hussites storm Prague's New Town Hall and throw several officials from the windows in the First Defenestration of Prague.

Radical followers of the executed reformer Jan Hus stormed Prague's New Town Hall and threw several town councilors from the windows to their deaths below, an act of political violence that helped ignite the prolonged and destructive Hussite Wars against the Catholic establishment.

Christopher Columbus arrives at the mainland of Central America during his fourth and final voyage to the New World.

During his fourth and final voyage to the New World, an aging and increasingly ill Christopher Columbus reached the coast of present-day Honduras, marking his first actual contact with the American mainland after his earlier voyages had focused primarily on exploring Caribbean islands and their surrounding waters.

The city of Baltimore, Maryland, is founded.

English colonists, including prominent leaders such as Cecil Calvert, established a settlement along the Patapsco River in the Province of Maryland that developed into the city of Baltimore, which grew into a major American port and industrial center in the centuries that followed.

Uruguay defeats Argentina to win the first FIFA World Cup, held on home soil in Montevideo.

Hosting the first-ever FIFA World Cup on home soil, Uruguay defeated rival Argentina 4-2 in the final match played before an enthusiastic crowd in Montevideo, securing the inaugural title. The tournament's success established the World Cup as a major recurring event in international sport for decades to come.

The Summer Olympic Games open in Los Angeles.

The Summer Olympic Games opened in Los Angeles amid the difficult economic backdrop of the Great Depression, with organizers introducing several lasting innovations, including the first purpose-built Olympic Village to house competing athletes, despite significantly reduced international participation caused by the high costs of travel during the crisis.

The U.S. Congress passes legislation adding "In God We Trust" as the nation's official motto.

The United States Congress passed legislation formally establishing "In God We Trust" as the country's official national motto, supplementing its earlier unofficial use on currency and coinage. The move reflected Cold War-era efforts to religiously and ideologically distinguish the United States from officially atheist communist adversaries abroad.

England defeats West Germany 4-2 to win its only FIFA World Cup title, at Wembley Stadium in London.

Playing before a home crowd at Wembley Stadium, England defeated West Germany 4-2 in extra time to win its only FIFA World Cup title to date, with striker Geoff Hurst scoring a hat-trick in the final, a feat still unmatched in World Cup final history.

Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin land on the Moon, beginning the mission's extended lunar surface exploration.

Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin successfully landed their lunar module in the Hadley-Apennine region of the Moon, beginning a mission notable for its extended surface stay and the first use of a Lunar Roving Vehicle to explore terrain farther from the landing site than any previous mission.

The last original Volkswagen Beetle rolls off the assembly line in Puebla, Mexico, ending 65 years of production.

After sixty-five years of continuous production across multiple countries, the last original-style Volkswagen Beetle rolled off the assembly line at a factory in Puebla, Mexico, marking the end of an era for one of the best-selling and most iconic automobile designs in history.